Electrical assemblies have long used lead solder to help make and keep electrical connections. However, use of solder, and especially lead solder, has come under increasing criticism due to environmental concerns.
The present invention is especially well-suited for, but not limited to use in, footwear and wearing apparel. For an electrical assembly to be useful in such fields it must be compact and inexpensive to manufacture. This means that both the number of parts, as well as the number of manufacturing steps, must be kept to the bare minimum if one is to be competitive in the world today.
The present invention advances a simple, compact and easy to manufacture electrical assembly that is well-suited for use in a variety of applications, including footwear and apparel. It also can be used in any application where it is desirable to use LEDs, including strings of LEDs, that can be used for decorative purposes.
The present invention improves upon prior inventions of the same inventor, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,147,337 and 8,004,856.